Though the news is bad for Brady and the Patriots, the Jets now are legitimate contenders for the AFC East crown. They will get the first crack at new-look New England when the Patriots come to the Meadowlands on Sunday for an early-season showdown between the two rivals.

“We have to go about business as we would,” Jets linebacker Eric Barton said today. “I don’t think it makes much of a difference. He’s a great player but the Patriots are the Patriots. They’re going to adjust and are going to be a good football team, as they always are.”

Before yesterday, Gang Green would have been prohibitive underdogs Sunday, but that is no longer the case with Matt Cassel behind center instead of Brady. In fact, the Jets are 3-point betting favorites and tied for first place with the Pats and Bills.

“I would consider them still the favorite,” Barton said of the Patriots, who have won five straight division titles. “I think they won what, 18 (20) straight regular-season games? They are, what you would call, the team to beat.”

Cassel was a third-string quarterback at USC and has not started a game since high school. Drafted in the seventh round in 2005, he has thrown 57 career passes in the NFL, and that includes 18 yesterday during a 17-10 win over the Chiefs.

Cassel started filling in for Brady when he stepped in for his weekly radio spot this morning.

“I’m not trying to be Tom Brady. I’m just trying to be Matt Cassel,” Cassel told WEEI in Boston. “I don’t know where that’s going to take us.”

Nobody does.

Cassel filled in admirably for Brady on the field, going 13-for-18 for 157 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown drive on his first possession.

“I have a lot of confidence in Matt and everyone else has to continue to do their job,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Matt did some good things, certainly the 98-yard drive. He took care of the ball and made some good plays.”

Barton said, “I’ve seen him a little bit in the preseason and a little bit yesterday. It looks like he’s a strong-armed kid, he looks like he’s smart with the football and he doesn’t make very many mistakes; most Patriots players don’t.”

That is why the Jets are hesitant to overlook the new-look Patriots.

“That’s laughable. You can’t bury the Patriots just because Tom (Brady) went down,” guard Brandon Moore said. “I honestly feel like they’re loaded on offense. They have a lot of veterans on offense, the offensive line and the running backs. On defense, they’ve always been good and solid. I don’t think that one piece missing is going to make a huge difference.

“Bill Belichick does a good job of preparing them. I think if they can be more prepared, then they’ll be even more prepared for this game.”

Belichick would not confirm reports that Chris Simms and Tim Rattay would be coming in to work out for his team today, but did not deny they would be looking for other options beyond Cassel and third-stringer Kevin O’Connell.

“Whatever our options are we will do what’s best for our football team,” Belichick said.

Sunday’s game will mark an end to Brady’s 128-game starting streak that includes playoffs.

“We feel badly for Tom about the injury,” Belichick said. “You hate to see anyone go down. No one has worked harder or done more for this team than Tom has.”

As a rookie, Brady replaced injured Drew Bledsoe and led the Patriots to a Super Bowl win over St. Louis.